When the reigning world champions India play the first game of a five-game series against South Africa in Cuttack on Tuesday to start their official march towards the home T20 World Cup, the return of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya will give them a new sheen and much-needed togetherness.
India’s official preparation for the February showpiece begins with this series. They will play ten Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), five against South Africa and five more against New Zealand, before beginning their championship defense against the USA at the Wankhede on February 7.
As they refine roles, streamline combinations, and settle on the starting lineup that will bear the burden of expectations in front of home crowds, the reigning champions will aim to begin this phase with a clear sense of purpose. After winning eight straight games to win the World Cup in the format last year, India has proven to be a tough T20I team.
They have since increased their total to 26 victories with just four defeats, including a seven-game run during their Asia Cup triumph in Dubai. They haven’t lost a T20I series throughout this time, and they will be looking to improve against the team they beat in the T20 World Cup final with only small adjustments.
Gill’s return comes after he missed almost a month of cricket owing to a neck spasm incurred while attempting a slog sweep during the opener Test against the Proteas. His workload management will be closely watched because he has been playing cricket nonstop since the last IPL and because India has a busy season ahead of them.
However, this series also serves as crucial preparation for Gill, who has amassed 837 runs at an average of 29.89 from 33 Twenty20 Internationals. His reuniting with Abhishek Sharma restores a potent opening duo that combines crisp, traditional strokeplay with sheer aggression.
After leading India’s scoring charts with 163 runs in the 2-1 triumph during an exceptional tour of Australia, Abhishek has been in incredible domestic form. The Punjab left-hander scored 304 runs at an average of 50.66 and an incredible strike rate of 249+ in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, including an incredible 52-ball 148 against Bengal as Punjab amassed 310/5.
The return of Hardik Pandya is similarly noteworthy. After missing over two months due to a quadricep injury sustained during the Asia Cup, the all-rounder made a spectacular comeback with a 42-ball 77 not out for Baroda in the SMAT before bowling four overs at full tilt for 1/52.
He trained alone at the Barabati Stadium, bowled for twenty minutes, and underwent a lengthy physical regimen after arriving in Cuttack one day ahead of the team. In addition to strengthening India’s batting, his presence rebalances a bowling attack that relies significantly on adaptability.
Prior to the series, captain Suryakumar Yadav’s protracted slump has been a major topic of discussion. His impressive IPL 2025 total of 717 runs for the Mumbai Indians contrasts sharply with his lackluster T20I results.
His form has declined to an average of 15.33 with 184 runs in 15 innings after becoming full-time T20I captaincy in July of last year. He has not hit a fifty in the previous 20 games, and his strike rate has dropped to 127.77 from the 187-plus he recorded in 2022.
He scored 165 runs from five games this season, failing to hit a fifty even in the SMAT. It seems doubtful that he will make a significant change before the World Cup, but the next ten Twenty20 Internationals will fuel discussions about his form and captaincy.
The question of whether Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma should be the wicketkeeper is still quite intriguing. Eyebrows were raised by India’s treatment of the two during the Australia series; Jitesh was endorsed for the final three Twenty20 Internationals after Samson batted just once and was moved up to No. 3.
Samson, who thrived as an opener with three hundreds, including two in South Africa, has been the team’s third-highest run scorer since India’s World Cup victory. However, Samson was forced down the order into a position he hardly ever plays in T20 cricket when Gill returned as vice-captain.
With two fifties, two 40s, and a 56-ball 73 not out against Andhra in the most recent SMAT, Samson appeared to be in great form, but Jitesh had mediocre results for Baroda with a top score of 41 from six appearances.
Tearaway pacer Anrich Nortje returns to South Africa for his first international match since the T20 World Cup final last year. The visitors gain strength from Marco Jansen’s development as a true all-rounder; his explosive 93 in the Guwahati Test and 70 off 39 balls in Ranchi demonstrated a renewed authority with the bat to go along with his proven power with the ball.
The Proteas will miss top batsman Tony de Zorzi and promising fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, who are both sidelined for the five-match series owing to injury, but veteran left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is back in the white-ball fold.
Teams (from):
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottineil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donnovan Ferreria, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs
